1. A method of analyzing an image having a plurality of image pixels, the method comprising the steps of:
pseudo-randomly selecting a subgroup of said plurality of pixels, wherein the number of pixels in said subgroup is less than the total number of pixels in said image; and
processing each of the pixels in the subgroup according to a parameterization transform.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein:
the plurality of image pixels are arranged in a rectangular array; and
the subgroup of pixels are pseudo-randomly distributed about the rectangular array.
3. The method of claim 1 wherein the number of pixels in said subgroup comprises less than about 30 percent of the number of pixels in the plurality of pixels in the image.
4. The method of claim 3 wherein the number of pixels in said subgroup comprises about 5 percent of the number of pixels in the plurality of pixels in the image.
5. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of:
choosing the number of pixels in said subgroup based on at least one quality characteristic of the image.
6. The method of claim 1 wherein the parameterization transform is a selected one of a Radon transform and a Hough transform.
7. The method of claim 6 further comprising the steps of:
transforming Cartesian coordinate data for each pixel in the subgroup to normal parameters;
incrementing cells in an accumulator matrix according to the normal parameters;
identifying at least one accumulator matrix cell having a maximum value; and
converting normal parameter values of the at least one identified accumulator matrix cell to Cartesian coordinate values.
8. A method of analyzing an image having a plurality of image pixels, the method comprising the steps of:
pseudo-randomly selecting one of said plurality of image pixels;
processing the selected pixel according to a parameterization transform; and
repeating the selection and processing steps for a selected number of said plurality of image pixels, said selected number being less than a total number of said plurality of image pixels.
9. The method of claim 8 wherein the number of selected pixels comprises no more than about 30 percent of the plurality of image pixels.
10. The method of claim 9 wherein the number of selected pixels comprises about 5 percent of the plurality of image pixels.
11. The method of claim 8 wherein:
the plurality of image pixels are arranged in a rectangular array; and
the selected pixels are pseudo-randomly distributed about the rectangular array.
12. The method of claim 8 wherein the parameterization transform is a selected one of a Radon transform and a Hough transform.
13. A method of analyzing an image having a plurality of pixels arranged in an array, the method comprising the steps of:
selecting a subgroup of said plurality of pixels, wherein the number of pixels in said subgroup is less than the total number of pixels in said image, and wherein the pixels in the subgroup are distributed about the entirety of the array; and
processing each of the pixels in the subgroup according to a parameterization transform.
14. The method of claim 13 wherein the pixels in the subgroup are pseudo-randomly distributed about the entirety of the array.
15. The method of claim 14 wherein the number of pixels in the subgroup comprises from about 5 percent to about 30 percent of the plurality of pixels of the image.
16. Electronically-readable media tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by a processor to perform a method of image analysis, the method comprising the steps of:
selecting one of a plurality of image pixels of a digital image;
processing the selected pixel according to a parameterization transform; and
repeating the selection and processing steps for a selected number of said plurality of image pixels only, said selected number being less than a total number of said plurality of image pixels.
17. The media of claim 16 wherein the selected pixels are pseudo-randomly selected.
18. A digital imaging system comprising:
an image capturing mechanism configured for obtaining a digital image comprising a plurality of pixels stored in a memory of the digital imaging system; and
a processor electrically connected to at least one of the image capturing mechanism and memory and configured for processing each pixel in a subgroup of said plurality of pixels according to a parameterization transform, wherein the pixels in the subgroup are pseudo-randomly selected, and wherein the number of pixels in the subgroup is less than a total number of pixels in said plurality of pixels.
19. A method of analyzing an array of image pixels, the method comprising the steps of:
processing a first plurality of the image pixels in the array according to a parameterization transform, wherein:
the first plurality comprises less than a total number of pixels in said array; and
the pixels in the first plurality are chosen based on a selected one of a negative pseudo-random selection process and a positive pseudo-random selection process.
20. The method of claim 19 wherein the parameterization transform is a Hough transform.
21. The method of claim 19 wherein the pixels in the first plurality are chosen based on a negative pseudo-random selection process comprising:
pseudo-randomly selecting a second plurality of pixels in said array, wherein a sum of the first and second pluralities of pixels comprises the total number of pixels in said array; and
deleting the second plurality of pixels from the array.
22. A method of analyzing an image having a plurality of pixels, the method comprising the steps of:
processing no more than a portion of the plurality of pixels according to a Hough transform, wherein the pixels for processing are selected according to one of a random and pseudo-random process.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A device for treating bladder-emptying dysfunctions of a human, comprising:
a catheter that can be introduced into the urethra, said catheter having a urine-emptying channel and a balloon arrangement that can be filled with a fluid, to seal the bladder and to hold the catheter in a bladder lumen, said arrangement adapted to be filled with or emptied of said fluid by at least one channel that runs along a catheter wall and is sealed off at a distal end segment of the catheter;
an automatically closing valve accommodated in a proximal end segment of the catheter, wherein a length of the catheter is dimensioned so that its distal end lies within the urethra in the inserted state;
a hydraulic activation mechanism for opening the valve, said hydraulic activation mechanism being disposed in said proximal end segment;
an activation balloon disposed on the distal end segment of the catheter, said balloon being filled with activation fluid and connected with the activation mechanism by way of a connection channel, said activation balloon hydraulically impacting said activation mechanism by mechanical pressure on the activation balloon;
wherein the activation mechanism is formed by a closure part of the valve that is elastically connected with the proximal end segment of the catheter, so that the closure part seals off the catheter at the proximal end segment in a non-activated state of the activation balloon,
wherein the closure part can be moved out from sealing contact solely in response to a hydraulic impact from actuating the activation balloon by means of the effective hydraulic pressure built up at a closure wall of the connection channel at the proximal end segment; and
wherein the closure wall of the connection channel is opposite to an activation surface of the closure part and is pressed out of the connection channel in an axial direction by the hydraulic pressure so that the urine-emptying channel of the catheter is opened by the closure part for unhindered passage of urine.
2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the valve closure part has a conically shaped contact surface that makes it possible to seal off the urine-emptying channel of the catheter at an end edge at the proximal catheter end.
3. The device according to claim 1, wherein the closure part and the proximal end segment of the catheter are elastically connected with one another by holder elements.
4. The device according to claim 1, wherein the closure part is connected with the proximal end segment of the catheter by means of a joint element and at least one elastic holder element.
5. The device according to claim 4, wherein one end of each holder element is formed on the closure part or on the proximal end segment of the catheter, and is separately attached to the proximal end of the catheter or to the closure part, respectively, with its other end.
6. The device according to claim 5, wherein the other end of each holder element is separately attached to the proximal end segment of the catheter or to the closure part, respectively, by means of a glued connection.
7. The device according to claim 1, wherein the connection channel connected with the activation balloon contains a pressure lumen separated by a separate valve in a region of the proximal end segment of the catheter, and when said lumen is filled with the activation fluid by activation of the activation balloon, the closure part can be lifted up from its sealing contact on the urine-emptying channel of the catheter.
8. The device according to claim 7, wherein said separate valve allows in-flow of the activation fluid into the pressure lumen at a first, relatively high velocity, and permits back-flow of the activation fluid from the pressure lumen at a significantly lower second velocity.
9. The device according to claim 8, wherein the separate valve, which separates the pressure lumen from the activation balloon, has a valve shaft that has a passage opening in the pressure lumen that is accessible from the activation balloon, which opening is surrounded by a valve tube.
10. The device according to claim 1, wherein the catheter and the closure part consist of silicone.
11. The device according to claim 1, wherein the balloon arrangement and the activation balloon consist of silicone.
12. The device according to claim 1, wherein the activation fluid is oil.
13. The device according to claim 12, wherein the oil is olive oil.
14. The device according to claim 3, wherein one end of each elastic holder element is formed on the closure part or on the proximal end segment of the catheter, and is separately attached to the proximal end of the catheter or to the closure part, respectively, with its other end.